Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney
Washington, DC 20001 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the federal side, cases prosecuted by AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division include, but are not limited to, drug trafficking; violent crime and firearms possession; cybercrimes; fraud and public corruption; and national security.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The Fraud and Public Corruption Section (FPC) of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is seeking one or more experienced prosecutors to serve as senior Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) with the experience necessary to lead complex and challenging white-collar criminal investigations and serve as first-chair in trials arising from those investigations.
FPC handles investigations and prosecutions of white-collar offenses targeted at financial, business, governmental, and social institutions, with an emphasis on complex financial fraud schemes and bribery of local, national and foreign public officials. FPC's unique Washington based practice includes investigations of violations of the Federal Election and Campaign Act (FECA), attempts to obstruct Congress, and efforts to interfere with the lawful functioning of the Executive Branch. AUSAs in FPC routinely work with components within the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and agents from the FBI, the Inspector General community, and other federal law enforcement agencies, with the objective of carrying out impactful prosecutions that vindicate victims and safeguard important institutions, such as government entities, banks, and non-profit organizations. FPC also handles civil rights prosecutions, with an emphasis on color of law violations.
Successful applicants to FPC must have at least five years' experience as a prosecutor; the desire to work collaboratively and the energy, enthusiasm, and aptitude to manage sensitive and complex long-term investigations; strong oral advocacy and trial skills; and superlative written and analytical ability.
Specifically, AUSAs in FPC are expected to, among other responsibilities:
- Manage long-term criminal investigations involving partners from the U.S. Department of Justice and federal law enforcement agencies, including drafting and implementing detailed investigative plans;
- Possess and maintain subject-matter expertise in a subject area within FPC's broad prosecution mandate or specific to FPC's practice, such as public corruption and criminal conflicts of interest, election law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, securities, and Garrity and Kastigar doctrines, among others;
- Prepare thorough written memoranda summarizing investigative findings and recommending the declination or initiation of criminal prosecutions;
- Participate in the review and assessment of colleagues' charging recommendations and litigation strategy through indictment review conferences and trial moots;
- Carefully screen matters for investigation and exercise sound judgment over whether to initiate investigations;
- Timely draft and obtain applicable legal process, including subpoenas, search warrants, pen trap orders, and Title III authority;
- Conduct grand jury investigations and presentations, including investigations and presentations involving a high volume of documentary evidence;
- Oversee and manage substantial discovery productions in accordance with applicable District expectations and national best practices;
- Represent the United States in all stages of criminal litigation, including arrest and indictment, pre-trial motions, trial, and post-trial and collateral proceedings;
- Conduct lengthy, complex trials involving a high volume of documentary evidence; and
- Routinely report to and consult with supervisors in FPC and the Criminal Division.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Read more about Assistant United States Attorney at https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/555731900.
Preferred Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have outstanding legal ability, high moral character, mature judgment, a keen desire for public service, and an exceptional aptitude for litigation, including significant white-collar investigative and trial experience.
Selections are made of the most highly qualified attorneys who apply, without regard to race, sex, religion, creed, color, national origin, handicap, age, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation or political affiliation.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/16/2020 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia at 202-252-6678 or email at joseph.cooney@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
The range of basic pay is $73,101 to $166,400 which includes 29.32% locality pay.
Department Policies
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.